“Lucy, would you stop talking for one second and let me—”

Her voice rose another octave. At this point, only dogs could hear her. I slumped against the dresser and rolled my eyes. One, two, three… I counted in my head to keep from losing my cool. Lucy, on the other hand, kept ranting. Something about my father, the pack, Benjamin. The sound of his name grated on my nerves. Not that she could sense that over the phone line.

My patience quickly wore thin. “Lucy!” I shouted.

“I mean seriously, Reagan! You should have seen the look on your father’s face. And poor Benjamin, don’t even get me started on him.”

Oh, yes. Poor Benjamin. No doubt he’d played the role of the grieving fiancé well. He seemed the theatrical sort—what with hiring assassins to kill me and all.

Groaning under my breath, I thumped my head against Jerrik’s dresser. I loved the girl, but Lord help me, she never knew when to shut the hell up. The moment I’d spoken my name, she’d started off on this tirade. Pretty sure she hadn’t yet stopped for a breath.

“And all the guests, they showed up, and you bailed!”

“Lucy, shut the fuck up!” I growled into the phone.

Silence crept over the line. Oh, thank God. Merciful, blessed quiet. For the first time since ringing her, I could hear my own thoughts.

“Reagan—”

“Just stop, all right? It’s my turn to talk.”

I heard her sigh. “Fine, talk.”

“I’m sorry I bailed.”

“Damn right—”

“Lucy! Seriously. Shut up and listen to me. I didn’t bail because I didn’t want to marry Benjamin. I bailed because the bastard put a hit out on me.”

I swear, I could hear her blinking. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Do you remember the guy I met at the club last night?”

“Mmm, tall, dark, incredibly fuckable.”

Laughter slipped past my lips before I could stop it. “Yeah, him.”

“You slept with him.” A statement, not a question.

“I did. But that’s not the point.”

“How is that not the point?”

“He’s an assassin, Lucy. The assassin. The shadow wolf.”

Hysterical laughter raced across the phone line. “Wow. I mean, I knew when you called to expect some kind of crazy explanation, but—”

“It’s not crazy.” I paused and glanced at the wall. “All right. It’s beyond insane. But I’m being entirely serious. We slept together last night. And then this morning, he tracked me to the church and told me that Benjamin put out a contract on my life.”

“Why?”

“Why not? Guess Gabriel told Benjamin and Christian that marrying me didn’t mean they’d gain power in the pack. The marriage was nothing more than the merging of the packs. My father stipulated that the pack hierarchy wouldn’t change. And that, in his death, I take over, but Benjamin gets nothing. From what I’ve learned today, Benny doesn’t like that plan.”

Silence.

I waited a few more seconds, then straightened with a frown. “Lucy?”

“I’m here,” she murmured. “Jesus, Reagan. You’re not kidding.”

“Nope.” I plucked a strange brooch up off Jerrik’s dresser and held it up. It looked old. Ancient, in fact. Tarnished as hell, but still beautiful in the right light. “Seems safe to assume that Benjamin knows I’m alive, too. Considering he sent another assassin after me not an hour ago.”

“What? Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. David, on the other hand…”

“Wait, David? As in David the Assassin?”

Laughter rolled past my lips. “That’s what I thought! At least the shadow wolf sounds a little intimidating.”

“All right. So Benjamin is playing some twisted game and wants you dead. What about Gabriel? He needs to be made aware of all this. What if Christian is on board with his son’s shenanigans?”

I nodded, then turned and gazed out the window. Thick trees blocked the view and shaded the room, likely why Jerrik had chosen it. Private and cool in the summers.

“So, when are you going to tell him?” Lucy asked.

“I’m not.”

“What? Are you insane?”

“Nope. You’re going to tell him.”

“Me?” she squeaked. “You are insane. No way in hell I’m going to tell Gabriel that the werewolf he meant for his daughter to wed is trying to kill her. He’ll kill me.”

“Nawh. Maybe maim you, but he definitely won’t kill you.”

“Gee, thanks.”

I snickered at her wry tone. “Don’t worry about Gabriel. He’s not near as frightening as he pretends.”

“Yeah, to you. His precious daughter. Why can’t you call him?”

“Because if he’s with Christian right now, and I call him, Christian will know. And if Christian is in on this with his son, then he’ll warn him. That doesn’t work with my plan.”

“Which would be?”

A slow grin spread across my face. “Oh, it’s a very basic plan. I figure killing Benjamin is a good place to start. But if someone warns him ahead of time that I’m on to his plan, he might bail. Where’s the fun in that?”

“You know…sometimes you scare me.”

“Oh, come on. You love me.”

“True. But it’s a scary kind of love.”

I waved a hand even though she couldn’t see it. “Once you talk to my father, I need another favor.”

“Mhm. Always something, isn’t it? So needy.”

God, I loved her. “I need you to meet me and bring some clothes. I needed out of this dress, so Jerrik ripped it off.”

“Hot,” she said, laughing. “I grabbed your bag from the church. I can bring that to you. It has your phone, too. Where do you want to meet?”

I rattled off an address for a park a few blocks away. Public, but hopefully secluded enough that I’d know if someone followed her. I trusted Lucy, but Jerrik had gone through extremes to keep this place off the radar. I refused to be the person that exposed his home.

“Can do. All right. Talk to your father, let him kill me, and then meet you with clothes. Sounds like a solid plan.”

My mouth tugged upward. “Thanks, Lucy. I seriously appreciate this.”

“I know. You’d be lost without me. It’s all right. You’ve always been a mess. Now, tell me about this hottie wolf of yours.”

“Later!” I said, laughing. “We can gossip at the park.”

“Ooh, that sounds fun. I have something to share with you, too.”

“You do?”

“You aren’t the only one who had fun last night.”

I rolled my eyes, unsurprised that Lucy had taken someone home.

“Give me half an hour to talk to your father. I can’t imagine that conversation going over well. And then I’ll come meet you. So let’s meet in an hour?”

I flicked a glance at the clock next to Jerrik’s bed. “Sounds great. One hour. Oh, and Lucy? Maybe leave Jerrik’s name out of it when you talk to Gabriel. They don’t have the best history.”

“Of course they don’t,” she sighed. “You aren’t making this easy, are you?”

“Sorry.”

“No, you’re not. Punk.”

“Brat.”

We disconnected the call without another word. Part of me felt sorry for Lucy. No one wanted to be the bearer of bad news, and she was about to drop a bomb on Gabriel. I couldn’t blame her for worrying. But everyone knew he’d never harm a hair on her head. He’d always jokingly called her his unwanted daughter, but he said it lovingly.

I shattered Jerrik’s burner phone and dropped it into the trash as directed before opening the door. He stood on the other side, leaning against the wall in what had to be his favorite position—arms and legs crossed.

“Guess you heard the whole conversation then?” I asked.

His mouth curved upward. “Fuckable, hey?”

“Her words, not mine.”

He pushed away from the wall and strode toward me. “Ah. So you don’t think I’m fuckable?”

Hearing that word on his lips shouldn’t have turned me on. But damn. I licked my lips and lifted a brow. “I didn’t say that, either.”

“No?” He leaned toward me, his hands braced against the wall next to my head. “Then what would you call me?”

My heart gave a solid kick. I lifted my chin and watched as his wolf came out to play, a hint of gold brightening his eyes. We had to meet Lucy in an hour, but that left some time to spare. I couldn’t get last night out of my head. It’d be crazy to turn him down.

Before I could respond, Jerrik dipped his head and kissed me, his mouth fierce and possessive. I sucked in a sharp breath and sank against him, reveling in the feel of his tongue as it stroked mine. He grabbed my hips and held on as he guided us back into his bedroom until the bed met the back of my thighs. Without breaking from the kiss, he turned us and dropped down on the mattress, settling me above him.

“We don’t have near enough time for what I want to do to you,” he growled. “Next time we’ll go slower.”

Next time? I loved the thought of him planning ahead, but he didn’t give me any time to contemplate next time. Instead, he slid his hands under his old sweatshirt and found my breasts. He ran his fingers over my pebbled nipples, a contented smile pulling at his lips.

“Love how you respond to me,” he murmured.

I grabbed the hem of the sweatshirt, pulled it off, and threw it aside. The sweats went next, thrown clear across the room. I really didn’t care where.

Grinning down at him, I shifted my hips and rubbed against him, warmth spreading through my stomach when his head fell back and he groaned. He wasn’t the only one who loved the responses. His body seemed tuned to mine. Every time I touched him, it was like fireworks for the both of us.

I clawed off his t-shirt and bent over him, running my mouth over every inch of his muscled chest while I removed his belt. I popped open his jeans, then glanced up at him as I shimmied them down. The second I freed him from his jeans, I took his length into my mouth. He didn’t taste like chocolate cake, but I found him just as delicious. I started to move, licking and sucking every inch until the sound of his quickened breath made me release him. Once the gold dimmed from his eyes, I returned with a renewed hunger—continuously teasing him until his body went taut beneath mine. I felt his shaft thicken in my mouth, felt his fingers tense in my hair. But every time he approached the precipice, I pulled back. Couldn’t let him come, not yet. Punishment for the wonderful torment he’d unleashed upon me last night.

“Jesus woman,” Jerrik growled. “Trying to kill me?”

He gripped my hips and rolled us across the bed. He leaned down and kissed me, nipping at my lips and tongue.

“Condom,” I murmured against his mouth.

Jerrik leaned over and grabbed one off the nightstand. I licked and kissed his ear and throat while he worked to slide it on. Then I dragged his mouth back to mine, eager to continue. “Now,” I whispered.

A wicked smile chased across his face. “Maybe.”

“No, now.”

“Impatient much?” he teased.

To show him how right he was, I reached down and grabbed him. His lashes fluttered when his eyes closed, reveling in the sensation of me stroking him. He was so close—I’d brought him to the edge with my mouth. Now I wanted to finish him.

His eyes flashed open and with a growl, he thrust. I cried out as he slid within me, my head falling against the pillows. I wrapped my legs around his hips and urged him faster, harder, anything. So long as he didn’t stop moving.

Jerrik quickly settled into an unrelenting rhythm, one that ignited a blaze within me. My entire body shuddered around him, my toes and fingers tingling as I neared my own orgasm. He reached down, his fingers working me while he continued to thrust. My orgasm exploded within me. I cried out and rode the waves, my eyes rolling to the back of my head.

“God, I love how that feels,” he grunted in my ear. “You tighten around me whenever you come.”

Jerrik changed angles, lifting himself up onto his arms, and thrust deeper. The force pushed me back on the bed, the pillows tucked around my head.

“Don’t stop,” I begged, a second orgasm already starting to build.

I braced my hands against the headboard just as my body lit up once more. I moaned and lifted my hips as I rode out my climax. At the height of my orgasm, I felt Jerrik succumb to his own. His pace shattered and his own cry blended with mine. Once spent, he collapsed next to me on the bed and released a low laugh.

“Amazing,” he said, still chuckling.

I smiled and turned my head to look at him. Amazing didn’t begin to describe it, but for now, it would suffice.